


From Prussia With Love

by TheTinKicker



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:07:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29291856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTinKicker/pseuds/TheTinKicker
Summary: The Shelby brothers wake up with no recollection of the night before, nor do they know their own whereabouts. This takes place prior to Arthur Shelby's marriage to Linda and the season 3 opener.
Relationships: Arthur Shelby & John Shelby & Tommy Shelby
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	From Prussia With Love

It was a familiar feeling for Thomas Shelby. He could only thank dumb luck that the room was dark or at least dim. His vision hadn't returned sufficiently to determine between the two. He was too busy using his fragile physical strength to prop himself up on the soft leather bench with his elbows. He closed his eyes and blew out a single breath before preparing to do the usual scan.

Tommy found himself in the booth of a pub but he knew it wasn't the Garrison. There was no private room reserved for the Shelby family. He glanced to his left and saw the lack of stairs, meaning it was a single-story building. The surrounding booths were empty, as were the stools opposite the bar. All he had to do was lean forward slightly, while firmly gripping the edge of the leather to maintain at least some balance.

His brother, Arthur Shelby Jr was lying on the floor on his side and completely naked. It wasn't a sight particularly welcome to Tommy, even while he was sober. Arthur was soon to be a married man and the brothers were supposed to be celebrating. Linda would hopefully bring much needed light into Arthur's life, eliminating the darkness created by The Great War. Tommy always scoffed to himself whenever someone named it that way. The 'Great' War. Great for who? The King? Definitely not for the Kaiser, wherever the tosser had gone to!

There was a woman huddled up to him with her head firmly resting under his chin. She had blond curly hair and also had a serious lack of clothing. Tommy wondered how they weren't shivering without some sort of fabric covering them. He was in his long-sleeved shirt and could still feel the chill, even after doing up the top button. He got to his feet and allowed himself to sway for a second before grabbing the edge of the booth one-handed. He looked further down the interior and saw John Shelby, happily married to Esme, fully clothed thankfully but passed out and drooling on the floor.

Tommy just blew out a sigh, closed his eyes to make sure his vision would return to normal and strolled towards Arthur and his mysterious one-night stand. He tapped Arthur on the buttocks with the side of his shoe.

"Come on, Arthur, up! On your feet, soldier!" Was it a good idea to use that last phrase? They'd both served in France and wanted as little to do with the army as possible. Arthur's head hadn't been doing him any favours and avoiding triggers around him was becoming more like a minefield.

"Piss off and let me die in peace!" Arthur muttered in his aggressive tone without even bothering to toss or turn.

"I don't think Linda would be too pleased with that now, will she?" Tommy chuckled with a smirk as he stepped towards John. He gave him a minor and gentle jab with his toe and John rolled onto his back while opening his eyes. He coughed out saliva and wiped his mouth before continuing to gaze at the ceiling as if he'd just been shot. He just grunted to acknowledge Tommy's existence.

"Fuck, Linda!"

"Fuck Linda?" Tommy asked, looking over his shoulder.

"No," Arthur groaned, still refusing to turn his head. "I said 'fuck...Linda'."

"John, doesn't it still sound like he said 'fuck Linda'? Eh?" Tommy said, keeping his gaze on Arthur. He knew he had to get his brother on his feet somehow. There were numerous questions about the night before that needed answering. Tommy could only hope Arthur spent more time fucking than he did drinking. His memory may be less obliterated.

"Yeah, it certainly does, Tommy," John said, propping himself up on an elbow.

"Not even up the altar and you're already saying 'fuck my wife'," Tommy tutted.

Tommy and John watched as Arthur sighed aggressively with frustration and sat himself up. He then got to his feet and staggered with clenched teeth towards Tommy. He had to guide himself using the ledges of the nearby booths. He stopped a metre from Tommy, who just stood there with his hands clasped in front of him.

"I meant 'fuck, Linda' as in 'where the fuck is Linda?' Because she sure as hell ain't on the floor there!" Arthur hissed, pointing at the blond-haired woman who'd rolled further onto her stomach without Arthur's body as a support. There was only a slight groan but she was still safely unconscious.

"So you don't know who she is?" John asked from behind Tommy. He'd made it to his feet but was still gazing down at the floor while fixing his Blinders cap.

"That also means you remember as little as we do about last night, then?" Tommy verbally prodded.

"Of course not," Arthur spat, running his hand through his overgrown fringe. Linda had always pestered him about a tidier haircut to show off in the church to show his true change in character.

"Well Arthur, if you get The Clap then that's your problem and Linda's. But for now, we have a much more serious issue to contend with, other than you still standing there bollock naked, of course."

"And what might that be?" Arthur sneered, refusing to budge and running the side of his hand through his mustache.

"Where the fuck are we?" Tommy asked firmly, looking at both of his brothers and neither could answer the question.

The windows were all covered by curtains with only thin rays of sunlight being allowed to shine through. Fractions of the floor were illuminated with sunlight with vast shadows intertwining. Tommy Shelby prepared his eyes for bombardment as he pulled back a curtain. The pub was in the middle of a cobbled street, similar to Small Heath but with one major difference. There was signage but it wasn't in English. Tommy heard footsteps and John Shelby slid his head under Tommy's arm to see outside.

"Will-coming?" he read with predictable confusion.

"No, it says 'welcome' John. That's what it says," Tommy sighed, fighting his breath to prevent it turning to hyperventilation. If there was a bottle of the finest Russian vodka beside him, he'd be guzzling it without mercy.

"I thought 'welcome' was spelt with a C?"

John Shelby may not have been the brightest at school but the man had a point.

Wilkommen!

"Boys, we are in hell right now and the gates are far behind us! That's what happened last night. We have marched through the gates of hell!"

"What, Sabini's turf?" John asked.

"Nuh-uh, worse."

Arthur stood there visibly confused before the woman began stirring behind him and rolled onto her back. She ran her hands up her stomach and instinctively cupped her breasts to protect herself as she sat herself up and looked around. She then had to bring a hand back to remove a fringe of curled blond hair. She saw Arthur looking at her over his shoulder.

"Was ist los?" she asked in her native tongue.

"Tommy boy, what the fuck is she saying?!" Arthur roared in a blind panic. He could remember a group of uniformed savages asking the same question occasionally in a very recent past.

Tommy Shelby turned around and let the curtain close again behind him. John stepped back towards the centre of the interior beside Arthur. Their brother seemed to have the answer and they wanted to give him their full attention. He looked at the woman, whose face was a mixture of confusion and fear.

He then spoke a language to her that was neither English nor Romany. John and Arthur looked at each other as Tommy spoke and the woman nodded, before searching all over the floor for her clothes among Arthur's in a heap.

"Tommy, you better fucking answer me!" Arthur growled. "What the fuck are you two saying to each other?!"

It was important to know his enemy as far as Tommy was concerned and after the war ended, he'd hoped he'd never have to use the language to his advantage ever again. He explained to them that she'd asked what was happening when she sat up and he had told her to find her clothes, to get dressed and to get lost.

"Tommy," Arthur said, shaking his head with an eerie and nervous smirk. "Where the fuck are we?!"

"Boys. We're in Germany."


End file.
